Double Directional
by Inverse By Ten
Summary: Even when traveling on opposite paths, two people can still arrive at common ground.


_1929  
New York, Bay Area  
_

Shinjiro Taiga stood atop of the region's most prominent construction site, overseeing the New York cityscape which lay all around him.

The wind had picked up some minutes ago, causing his uniform's jacket to flutter proudly. He paid it no mind. There were far more important matters at hand.

Over the past months, Shinjiro had developed a sixth sense of sorts regarding upcoming events-a side effect of his instincts being tempered in combat. As the sky and city projected the perfect image of tranquility, that sense, ironically, made itself apparent once more.

Even with Nobunaga defeated, New York's safety was but temporary. The greatest battle it and its Combat Revue would ever face was on the way. Unfortunately, he had no idea of knowing exactly _when_.

It would be a complete lie to say that he wasn't now uneasy about the future. Still, nervousness had to be ignored. Fear would not help in battle. It never did. Every time fear threatened to take hold of him, he merely needed remind himself how far he'd already come.

When he'd first arrived in America and taken his place in the STAR Division, no one thought he would amount to anything-especially not in the face of his uncle Ogami's _overwhelming_ prowess and reputation.

Yet now, here he was. Over the course of the last year, a half-dozen ancient Japanese demons had attacked the city he had sworn to protect. In the end, the city was still standing. The demons were not. He allowed himself the smallest of smiles upon reflection of this fact.

Even through confidence, however, he dared not drop his guard. He heard two soft footsteps land behind him, and felt the wind at his back stop for just a second.

One second was all he needed. In one swift motion, he drew his sword, cutting the air behind him as he turned around with a backwards slash.

He had a feeling who this was. Barring any of the demons, there was only one other being in New York who could make such a graceful landing all the way up here. His hunch was confirmed, then, when the steel of his sword clashed with the metallic lining of... a small fan.

His eyes met those of its wielder, and the gaze was quickly returned.

He had been right after all.

-  
"double directional"  
a sakura wars: so long, my love fan fiction  
by inverse, december 2010

all characters are copyrighted and owned wholly by SEGA and RED.  
localization by NISA. i liked it. keep that in mind.  
no money has been made with this, and none is ever to.  
-

After a few seconds, Shinjiro nodded in greeting as the two relented and put away their weapons. "Are you always going to insist on fighting up here? It's becoming almost predictable."

"I believe in keeping you sharp," said the other Japanese in front of him. Subaru Kujo stood at ease, also dressed in the trademark STAR Division uniform. Where Shinjiro's sported the red of leadership, however, Subaru's was a mysterious violet. "Even if the others don't."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"They coddle you too much. Even Sunnyside's getting in on the act now. I don't like it. To be a hero, Shinjiro, one must do more than simply look the part." Subaru paused, and allowed the tiniest hint of a smile to appear. "Though Subaru will admit that you currently look slightly more dashing than usual."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"Do as you wish. So what brings you to _my_ usual contemplation spot? Surely you expected this meeting... and for it to go the way it did."

Shinjiro nodded. "I did, though admittedly not so soon. As for your first question, I decided that I wanted to try seeing what you see up here."

Subaru chuckled. Typical Shinjiro. Straightforward to a fault. "Did it work, then? Tell me what you see."

"I see... New York," Shinjiro said.

Subaru's chuckling quickly turned into an eyebrow-cocking scoff. "Really? That's it? If so, I can assure you that your efforts were very much wasted."

"No, Subaru. I mean _New York_. Up here is the first time I've been able to gaze on the entire city as a whole, yet still all around me. When you're actually walking _through_ New York, on the same ground as everyone else, you get to see that it's made up of so many people, so many cultures and styles, all clashing, but all existing at once. But up here... the differences don't matter. Because up here, it's _all_ New York."

Subaru cocked an eyebrow again-only this time, in genuine interest-and let Shinjiro finish his answer.

"Up here, I see something... bigger than you or me. A _lot_ bigger. Yet people as small as us are charged with keeping it safe." Shinjiro paused to find the exact words to express his feelings on the subject. "It's really humbling... but at the same time, flattering. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Hmm..."

Subaru appeared to be deep in thought. This struck Shinjiro as both new, and a good sign. Usually anything he would say to the dark-haired enigma was met with a snappy retort. It'd gotten old fast, which was one of the reasons why he'd decided to improve his performance over time.

Loathe as he sometimes was to admit it, Subaru's approval was something he sought above that of most others-and the nervousness he'd felt earlier when alone now paled in comparison to that which coursed through him now.

Finally, an answer was given.

"Now I remember why I took to you."

Subaru took a step forward, then turned around to gaze upon the city in the other direction. Then, with closed eyes and a deep breath, reflection took place:

"Before you joined us, Shinjiro, I saw a city full of problems. A city of constant indecision. I pitied and scorned it. I fought for it solely to buy it time to make up its mind." Subaru paused. "Also, it was where I kept my things. I didn't have much of a choice. But now, after working with you-and a lesser extent, the others-I believe I finally understand. People _can_ change. Entire _cities_ can change. Sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse.

"But the alternative-to _never_ change, to _never_ open oneself to what life has to offer-is the worst course one can take." Subaru clenched a determined fist. "The demons who attacked our city wanted everything to be run one singular way: theirs. We fight so that people have the power and freedom _to_ change, if and when they so wish."

Subaru turned to face Shinjiro again, with shining eyes, a shortness of breath, and a facial expression communicating... a rare moment of happiness? Now Shinjiro had seen everything.

"Shinjiro... thank you for giving me that power."

It was now Shinjiro's turn to provide an uneasy pause, before replying with, "Don't thank me, Subaru."

Another pause.

The elation on Subaru's face soured somewhat. What was he getting at? "Well, if you insist. I hereby rescind my gratitude."

The wind around them inexplicably grew cooler as the two were then silent... until curiosity finally got the better of Subaru.

"...why not?"

Shinjiro answered without missing a beat. "Because you _always_ had that power within you. It'd be wrong for me to take credit for it. The one who chose to shut your true self in? To keep your heart closed, all of this time? It's always been you."

Subaru's brow furrowed in ponderance over this. Clearly Shinjiro was correct-but it wasn't fun to think about too much.

Shinjiro continued. "So the way I see it, you deserve just as much credit for reversing the process. If I and our teammates were an inspiration, then that's great. But _you_ are the one who decides your personal destiny. No one else." Eyes met eyes again as Shinjiro gave off a reassuring, playful grin. "A very wise person told me that."

The wind grew warmer again as Subaru matched it. "I underestimated you. You _have_ learned much."

"I had a good teacher."

"And I had a willing student. A bit hard-headed at times, but..."

In a flash, weapons were once more drawn, and repeated clashes occurred as the two danced along the length of the construction site's highest girder. Neither were able to score a clean hit, and the mock battle soon ended with both wielders applying pressure against the other's blade, standing less than two feet apart.

"...perhaps finally worthy of being called Subaru's equal," Subaru finished, just before deflecting Shinjiro's sword via a pirouette, and closing the fan that had begun the battle.

Shinjiro resheathed his blade. "Whoa. You've never said that before."

Subaru shrugged. "You never gave me sufficient reason before."

Shinjiro laughed in spite of himself. "Oh, I see how it is! So, all someone has to do to gain your respect is to take down a demon armada?"

"No. They must also look good doing it. They must get the job done with style comparable to that of myself. Only then will Subaru take notice. But as she has said before, you have that department covered." The playful look returned. "Especially as a certain blonde alter-ego..."

Shinjiro was confused for a few seconds, then backed away as he realized, and his face reddened. "P-P-_Peppermint_? Oh, c'mon, y-you refuse to stop bringing that up!"

Subaru followed him. "It can't be helped. You fit both roles perfectly. Besides, turnabout is fair play." Subaru flourished slightly, by way of a head-swish and fingers running through short, straight raven locks. "I'm sure you assume _my_ gender all the time to be a certain default for the sake of desirability-yet if you'll notice, protesting the practice was one of the things I'd decided to drop-"

"Actually..." And in the first genuine surprise of the night, Shinjiro shook his head. "...I stopped doing that a while ago."

"Oh? Stopped doing what?"

"Like you said. Assuming. Also, caring."

Subaru stopped cold, the aloofness of a few seconds ago now a thing of the past. Subaru was now _paying attention_.

"You mean... about..."

"Yeah. That."

Subaru... did not expect this. Perfect calculations had repeatedly pointed to the opposite outcome. There was no way to quickly handle the current situation, to quickly dismiss it or say that it was an inevitable outcome all along. Shinjiro had once more upended the tea table-and Subaru was now, for all intents and purposes, completely frozen in an infinite loop.

Eventually, Subaru's mind managed to break out of it, allowing for a very soft utterance of, "When?"

"I believe it was right after our first date. You know, the one with me as Peppermint? After a while, I decided to stop being embarrassed, and start being thoughtful. So I thought. A lot. For _days_. Weeks. But it paid off. Eventually, I understood. And it happened because of the time we spent together once you finally opened up to everybody."

"Y-... you did? It was?..."

Subaru stepped closer. Mind still contradicted. Useless. Heart pounding. Equally useless. Almost afraid of taking _any_ actions right now. Still compelled to bring one palm up against Shinjiro's cheek in spite of this.

Such familiar territory, yet so much still uncharted. Was it possible? Could he have truly...

Shinjiro spoke again.

"That night, my clothes and hair color made for a slightly different experience than I'd imagined for a date... but it didn't change the fun I had with you." He grasped Subaru's reaching hand, and held it in his. "And it didn't change how well we work together."

Subaru felt flush. Warm. _Inefficient_.

"It didn't change my skills when piloting a STAR, or performing onstage. And it didn't change who I am inside as a person. The same goes for you. I stopped caring about what your gender was some time ago-and I'd like to apologize, because I now get that it was silly to ever do so in the first place. That kind of thing has no bearing on how much of an asset you are to us, it doesn't affect how you should be treated as a person, it doesn't change who you are inside, and..."

Shinjiro momentarily went silent, clenching a fist. Subaru sensed him steeling himself, and squeezed his hand, both to calm him and gently urge him to just blurt it out-which he finally did.

"...and it _definitely_ doesn't make you any less desirable." He let the tension out, catching his breath. "Physically or otherwise." He smiled down at Subaru, who had lost the fight against the blush, and returned the cheek-caress from earlier.

"Wear whatever clothes you wish. I'll appreciate both them and the person they cover. Be who you want. What I see is what I get, and I'm just fine with that. After all..." He winked. "Subaru is Subaru... right?"

Upon hearing that original motto thrown back into the limelight, Subaru briefly considered becoming annoyed. Damn Shinjiro! This was just like him! Here, Subaru had gone and changed and opened up and compromised and _everything_, and _now_, Shinjiro, forever the slow one, had finally managed to comprehend obsolete material! It was angering! It was exasperating! It was frustrating!...

...It was _wonderful_.

They'd both officially changed-and in the process, they'd both come full circle to fully understand each other. Now Subaru truly _could_ be Subaru around Shinjiro, with no regrets. Light-headedness and a five-alarm blush were both inevitable as countless pleasant consequences and possibilities were imagined.

With that in mind, there really was only one response Subaru's mind and heart could settle on-which was to look into Shinjiro's eyes... and finally, happily concede.

"Subaru... is now also yours."

"And vice versa," said Shinjiro, as they drew close, hands clasped, bodies touching...

...thunder booming overhead, rain drizzling, threatening to completely spoil the moment...

"Uh oh," Shinjiro said, looking up.

Subaru did as well, giving off a confident scoff a second later. "Worry not, Shinjiro. The elements and I have tangled before."

With narrowed eyes, Subaru tossed a metal-tipped fan into the sky just as lightning flashed. Upon re-catching it, both saw it smoking slightly, but otherwise unharmed.

"They know by now to never stand in the way of that which Subaru Kujo desires. Now, where were we?"

Their arms encircled, holding each other close, and allowing their lips to meet in a soft kiss for as long as they were capable. It had been, after all, a moment months in the making.

They no longer cared about the approaching storm. The air around them was now more than warm enough.


End file.
